Ashes
by Rosey1118
Summary: It was one simple promise, made after a tense moment on the astronomy tower. They wouldn't speak of it ever again, and both would just move on with their lives and live happily. But nothing is ever simple in Hogwarts. The promise burns down, leaving two worlds left to ashes, and two hearts attempting to rise from the rubble. Dramione. All rights to J.K. Rowling.
1. Chapter One

Hermione's definition of cold was officially going to change after a long night of sitting at the astronomy tower. It was, if she had to guess, a little after one in the morning and she knew that she needed to go down to the Gryffindor tower and go to bed. Which would happen if she wasn't so damn sure that going back to the tower would result in tears and crying herself to sleep. Everything was wrong. Ron was dating Lavender and Hermione wanted to punch the both of them. She was even splitting time with Harry now, and he was her best friend, basically her brother, and she wasn't really used to not having him during the year. Granted there were times when he was at quidditch practice, or unconscious in the hospital wing, but he was there and she could talk to him when she needed to and she didn't have to split her time with Ron like they were divorced parents with a child.

Of course there was Neville, Ginny, and Luna, but even though she loved them, she felt like an outsider. They were her friends but they didn't know her like Harry, or even Ron for that matter. She loved them but she couldn't picture herself really hanging around them like she did with Harry and Ron.

Which meant that she was spending a good chunk of time by herself, in the library or the great hall, or even the astronomy tower when no one had class. It was cold despite the scarf she had bundled around her throat, and the thick robes draped over her shoulders. The cold felt wrong which, oddly enough, made everything feel right. Her world with her friends was falling apart so of course she had to deal with the cold. It just made sense.

Hermione groaned when she finally stood up, trying to stretch. Her bones cracked as she raised her arms above her head and angled them backwards. She wasn't a big fan of the sound, but there was some small bit of comfort as everything settled back into place. At least aching bones from uncomfortable positions stayed a constant in her miserable state.

She moved toward the staircase, finally deciding to go back to her dormitory. She had class in the morning and she'd need to go to sleep before too long so that she could at least pretend to be functioning the next day. But a few steps away, she heard the pounding of footsteps and ducked as quickly as possible into the shadows of the astronomy tower, clutching her wand, heart pounding wildly in her chest. If it was Professor McGonagall, she could maybe talk her way out of a detention. If it was Snape, she would probably have detention for the rest of the year, and it was only November. She shuddered when she realized that it could also be some students coming up to snog or something like that. At least then she could give them a warning and sneak off to bed without an issue.

A body finally appeared, practically flying toward the edge of the tower. Hermione's heart beat a little faster and she aimed her wand at them, prepared to cast some spell to prevent the poor soul from hurling themselves off the tower, but pale hands grabbed the rail and stopped the body from falling. She held back a breath of relief, not wanting to give away her position. It wasn't a teacher, so she could just sneak toward the stairs and disappear without ever actually confronting them.

She took a step, careful to keep quiet, but froze when she heard soft sobs from the form at the edge. Instinct took over, and she took one small step closer. The person didn't seem to hear her, and continued sobbing, shoulders quaking and chest heaving.

Hermione didn't see the pale blond hair until she had a hand on the person's shoulder, and at that point it was too late.

Draco Malfoy whipped around, wand at her throat, eyes wild and confused and ringed with red.

It was almost as if the world froze, as though it couldn't handle the two of them meeting under their circumstances. Hermione felt the cold breeze rustle her hair, saw it move the pale, unkempt strands on his own head. She saw recognition in his eyes, hollow eyes, felt the tip of his wand at her throat, and still couldn't bring herself to move.

Not until he pressed the wand more firmly against her skin, and Hermione found herself stepping back and raising her own wand, aiming it at his chest.

"You didn't see anything," he said, voice quiet but just as dangerous as normal.

"Neither did you," Hermione challenged.

He gave the slightest nod off his head, not moving his wand. Hermione hesitated before turning and striding confidently away, head held high despite feeling massively shaken.

Draco Malfoy was crying. She'd never seen him cry before, save the fake tears after Buckbeak barely struck him in their third year. This was different.

Once she cleared the stairs leading to the astronomy tower, she started running, trying to get to the common room as quickly as she could. If she could get to bed, she could convince herself that this was nothing more than some nightmare, that she'd conjured up the appearance because she wanted someone to feel miserable and alone like she did.

She made it to the common room without incident, although she did have to dodge Mrs. Norris a few times. She should have asked Harry for his invisibility cloak, but then he would have questioned what she needed it for and he would have tried to help and she really didn't want to talk to him about everything that was wrong. Harry didn't need to hear that she'd had feelings for Ron that were completely crushed by his new relationship. He wasn't stupid, he probably already knew, but she didn't really feel like admitting it to him.

Hermione climbed the stairs to her dormitory, trying to clear her mind from thoughts about Ron and Harry and, shockingly, Draco Malfoy. She changed out of her warm robes and into pajamas, managing to switch her thinking to Arithmancy notes that she'd taken and wanted to remember for an upcoming assignment. Luckily, the thought process allowed her to drift peacefully to sleep, where she dreamed about bodies falling off of towers as she tried, in vain, to grasp a hand.

She woke with a start to the sound of Lavender Brown giggling with Parvarti Patil. "Ten whole minutes," Lavender said, giggling again. "We snogged for ten whole minutes after we said we had to stop and go to bed. He's such a good kisser, Parvarti, his tongue-"

She groaned softly and covered her ears with her hands to drown out the sound of Lavender's words. Eventually, though, she had to climb out of bed and use the toilet, which brought her face to face with the girl she rather wanted to smack.

"Oh, hello Hermione," Lavender said, batting her eyelashes innocently and letting out a childlike giggle. "We were just talking about my Ron."

"About snogging, yes, the whole of Gryffindor house heard you talking about it," Hermione said, a polite yet forced smile on her face. "I wouldn't think about sticking my tongue in his mouth after watching him eat, but you have fun with it."

She disappeared into the other room with her robes before Lavender could respond. Through the heavy wood door, she heard Parvarti say, "Don't worry about her, Lav, she's just jealous because he picked you."

Which was entirely true, but Hermione rolled her eyes regardless and started on her morning routine. She washed her hair and brushed her teeth and did the best plait she could before leaving for the great hall. Her dormitory was empty so she paused to actually check her book bag and make sure everything was alright and she had what she needed for class, which she did.

She was at the door of the common room when she heard Harry shout, "Hermione! Wait up!"

Hermione rolled her eyes but paused and turned to look at him hurrying toward her, messy black hair and bright green eyes and a slightly crooked grin. "Morning, Harry." she said, unable to stop herself from grinning back at him.

"Breakfast?" he asked in response.

"I could go for toast," she replied. "You're going to eat with me today?"

"Ron went with Lavender," Harry replied sheepishly. His words were like a punch to the gut. She knew she was his second choice but it hurt when he confirmed it. "But I want to eat with you anyway. I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

They left the common room, heading for the great hall. "You've been busy with quidditch," she replied. "And the team's doing great so I don't blame you for that."

"Our last practice was almost two weeks ago," he reminded her. "You've just been off the map."

"Have I?" she responded. "Arithmancy is just a lot this year. I'm studying where there's quiet."

"I'm shocked you're not in the library," he teased. "That's where I've counted on finding you for years now."

Hermione laughed and Harry smiled. "Sometimes pages rustling distracts me," she said. "So many books that I'm not reading. It's like torture." Harry laughed again as they entered the great hall. Hermione saw Lavender feeding Ron a bite of sausage, and her stomach twisted. "On second thought," she said, "I'm just going to grab something from the kitchens."

Harry's gaze followed hers for a moment. "Hermione-" he tried, but she shook her head.

"Go sit with Ginny and Neville. I'll be fine. I'll see you in Defense, okay?"

He let out a resigned sigh but nodded, and Hermione sent him a grateful smile before turning to leave.

Her arm collided with someone else's, and she felt as though she knew who it was before she even looked up at them. "Watch where you're going, filthy mudblood." Malfoy spat, glaring down at her.

Hermione straightened up and sent him a glare in return. "You as well."

She pushed past him, slightly relieved to see that he looked better than he had the night before. No more red-ringed eyes and tears. She had nothing to worry about.

Hermione made her way to the kitchens to pick up spare toast for breakfast. She saw Winky and waved, sending the house elf a genuine smile, before heading out in the direction of the Ancient Runes classroom. The class was fairly small considering the number of people who had passed their O.W.L.s for it, but Hermione didn't mind. She got to answer questions and flaunt her knowledge of the subject which, while potentially petty, was something she did quite frequently. She liked knowing that she was one of the smartest in the room. It gave her a sense of comfort.

She waited for the class to start and passed the time by drafting a letter to her parents. It told them all of the usual things. Classes were going well, she was getting good marks, Hogsmeade was fun. She'd left out all of the self-inflicted drama with Ron to avoid worrying them, because they would worry and she didn't want them to. She was practically an adult so she didn't need her parents worrying about juvenile heartbreak.

When class started for the day, it felt like everything was returning to normal. She didn't think about Ron once, she didn't sit and miss Harry, and she didn't ponder any other burning questions. She just worked, and once she was done, she went to Defense Against the Dark Arts to suffer through Professor Snape. Harry sat next to her though, and Hermione entertained them both by practicing transfiguration spells on her ink to make it change colors. She avoided the color purple, and found herself avoiding anything pale as well so she didn't think about anything unpleasant.


	2. Chapter Two

The pounding in his head was so intense that Draco was sure his brain would explode. It was a lack of sleep and the stress that gave him the headache, but he couldn't change anything about that. He'd been up all night basically breaking down, though he wouldn't admit that to anyone. Draco Malfoy did not cry and he would murder anyone who said he did. If he even could. He was seriously beginning to doubt if he could ever actually kill someone. His father would be ashamed of him if he found out.

But his father was stuck in Azkaban. He wouldn't hear about it until their family was legitimately murdered for Draco's own ineptitude.

He held back a sigh and looked down at his textbook. He was mid-Defense and Snape was lecturing and Draco felt his mind drifting. He thought back to the night before, where he'd had his wand pressed against Granger's throat, his eyes red and full of tears. He could see her face, surprised brown eyes laced with something that Draco might call concern if he didn't know better. He thought about her wand raising to point at him, and the burst of fear in his heart when the most powerful witch he'd ever met aimed her wand at him.

Draco jumped slightly and slammed his hand on the table, trying to lock his mind away. He stared at Snape, eyes wide as he felt other people staring at him. He knew that he should have stayed calm and not hit the table, but he'd let his guard down and Snape had been peering into his mind. Draco didn't really want anyone in there. He didn't really even want to be in there.

He stopped glaring at Snape in favor of glaring at his textbook. His professor would, without a doubt, talk to him about the Granger thing later, and Draco would have to say that it was nothing and he hated her as much as he had before. That was a conversation he really didn't want to have. He'd complained enough about Granger over the years; he didn't want to hear her name anymore.

Although he was mildly curious as to why Gryffindor's golden girl would be on the astronomy tower so late at night. The mere thought of breaking rules probably had her quaking in her shoes. Draco chanced a glance in her direction when his friends weren't paying attention, and found her smirking and pointing something out to Harry Potter. Draco turned back to his book, stressed again. Harry Potter had a knack for ruining everything Draco tried to do, so killing Albus Dumbledore wouldn't go well. He was staring his own death sentence in the face. Seven months until his world burned.

Class ended with the ringing of a bell and Draco rushing to pack up his books. He shoved everything into his back and pushed past everyone else, knocking into Potter's shoulder and hearing his nemesis call him some rude name or another. If the year was normal, Draco probably would have turned around and yelled back at him. But it wasn't a normal year, and he was exhausted.

He made it out of the classroom, but didn't move fast enough to escape his professor. "I'll see you after classes, Draco."

"I have assignments, Professor," Draco said stiffly.

"You cannot stay away forever, Mr. Malfoy." Snape replied.

"I can stay away long enough." Draco muttered, shaking himself out of Snape's light grasp on his wrist.

He had a free period after Defense, and he went straight to the Room of Requirement and stared at the vanishing cabinet. He'd been working to try and fix it since the beginning of the year, and had taken to just sitting on the floor and working on homework in front of it when he had time. The longer he sat near it, the more he was convinced the cabinet was trying to work with him. Together they would figure out how to get the Death Eaters into the castle so Draco wasn't murdered. So his mother wasn't murdered.

Tears rushed to his eyes as he thought about his mother, dead on the floor of their mansion. He could see blood on her pale skin from hitting the ground too hard after Voldemort cast the killing curse. He could hear her scream and could feel his own heart stop as the green light struck him too.

Draco gasped out as he opened his eyes, tears sliding gently down his cheeks. "I don't know what to do," he whispered to himself. "I just don't know."

He held himself tightly around the middle as he rocked back and forth, thinking about how scared he was of dying. He managed to pull himself together before the end of the free period, and left the room to go back to class. It was risky to cry in the middle of the day and he knew that, but he hadn't been able to stop himself. Thinking about his mother dying always pushed him over the edge.

Draco got through his classes, but it was a rocky day. He was on edge and kept looking over his shoulder, trying to see if he could spot someone staring at him to give his paranoid mind some satisfaction. But he didn't meet anyone's eyes, and he crumbled in on himself.

After class, he sat in the Room of Requirement again, staring at the vanishing cabinet. He didn't know what to think anymore. He was tired and frustrated and Snape was probably looking for him even though neither of them really wanted to deal with the other. Snape had come up to him so many times, demanding to know information about Draco and his plans. Every time Snape tried, Draco tried to throw him off, to get him away, and to make sure that Snape left him alone. This was his task, even if he couldn't do it, and he didn't need Snape butting in and trying to take credit for any successes he might have. Snape was also massively controlling, and Draco knew that he wouldn't have any say in the strategy if Snape got involved.

He sat for a few minutes, and then started reading through some books he'd borrowed from the library. He'd started doing research in order to figure out how to get the cabinet working again. Draco knew it was a spell, but the spell was difficult and required careful adjustments to the casting in order to work. If he was honest, he wasn't really sure that it would work, but he didn't really have a choice. The second cabinet was his, sitting in Borgin and Burkes, and the first was here, in front of his face, waiting to be fixed.

Draco worked through dinner. His friends came to see what he wanted from them, and Draco angrily shouted that they needed to leave him alone and guard the corridor. Crabbe and Goyle were infuriating, always asking him for direction. Draco knew it was his own fault, that he'd scared them into that kind of life, but they were old enough to know what he needed. They knew what he was doing, they didn't need to come interrupt him and make him waste time. He only had so much of it to begin with.

They left, and Draco went back to work. He stopped his struggle with the vanishing cabinet spell around eleven, and went to regular homework. He had an essay for Snape-eighteen inches, the bastard-and one for McGonagall too. Draco knew she was displeased that he was in her class, but Transfiguration was important. He hated the professor and her love for the Gryffindors, but he had no choice.

Draco worked until his eyes burned from exhaustion and he could barely keep them open. He shut his books and rubbed his eyes with his hands. Crabbe and Goyle had probably gone to their dormitory by now, exhausted from a long night of staring down hallways and pretending to be helpful. He wasn't pleased with that, but he wasn't going to stop them from leaving. If they left, he wouldn't have to try and talk to them on their way back down to the common room. When he was younger, he probably wouldn't have cared. He probably would have flaunted his own importance to make himself feel big and make them feel small. It was his strategy in life. Make himself seem important to gain the respect or fear of others.

Now he was too important for his own good, and he didn't know what to do.

As per usual in the last several weeks, Draco ended his night by heading up to the astronomy tower. He wasn't crying this time, which was a relief. At least if he ran into Granger this time, she wouldn't see how stressed he felt. He really hated that it was her, of all the people in the castle. Because she was a bleeding-heart Gryffindor who thought she could help anyone. If she tried with him, Draco would curse her. He wouldn't even hesitate.

The tower was empty, which told him that Granger had decided not to come back. Draco let out a sigh of relief as he let the cold air wash over him. He needed the chill now. The air made the hair on his arms and neck stand on end. It made him feel alive, less like a dead man walking. He could hear the soft, far-off hooting of owls as they flew around the school, hunting for mice. Draco looked out at the forest, up at the stars, trying to figure out if some sliver of him would be left after his death. Voldemort would cast the killing curse, he knew that. He didn't want to be a ghost, but the sentimental part of his brain told him that it wouldn't be so bad to become a star or a tree. Sturdy, always there. Never really gone.

Draco shook off the bit of desperation before sitting down on the floor and closing his eyes. He just needed ten minutes to relax before he went back to his common room, climbed into bed, and passed out. The chill seeped into his bones and his arms broke out in goosebumps despite being tucked away under robes. Draco shivered, but clung to the feeling of life, no matter how unpleasant it might be.

He checked his watch after what felt like two minutes, and found that it had been closer to thirty. It was too late, and he'd spend another day exhausted, but at least he'd gotten some peace. He stood and left the tower, sneaking carefully down to the dungeons and through the entry to the Slytherin common room. Draco crashed into bed after changing out of his robes and fell asleep almost immediately, hoping that some solution would pop into his brain and he would get to live past the age of sixteen.

In the morning, Draco woke to Blaise Zabini shaking his shoulder. Draco shook the other boy off and huffed angrily, eyes red from the short rest he'd gotten. Still, he got out of bed and got dressed, brain struggling to catch up with what he was facing with the day. He packed and unpacked his book bag no less than four times, trying to remember which classes he needed to bring books for.

"Malfoy, mate," Blaise said. "This is ridiculous."

"Shut up," Draco snapped, shoving his Charms book in for the last time. "I need it to fit right."

"Which is why you nearly threw your Defense book across the bloody room," he replied. "You need a break."

Draco shrugged his words off and slung his back over his shoulder. "Your input is not appreciated."

With that, he left his dormitory and walked to breakfast alone. A couple of Hufflepuffs leered at him since he was alone, and Draco glared at them in response, too tired and too unfocused to jinx them. He could barely stomach the porridge he tried to eat for breakfast. He needed to come up with another plan and soon. Killing Dumbledore was the main task. If he didn't have to use the Vanishing Cabinet, all the better for him.

Draco stared at the headmaster, and was surprised when Dumbledore looked back at him. The old man smiled, and Draco frowned. It was almost as if he knew. But he couldn't. And even if he did, Dumbledore wasn't doing anything to stop him.

He tore his eyes away from the headmaster when he was confident he felt another pair of eyes on him. Draco scanned the great hall until his eyes met green orbs. He scowled at Potter, who was staring him down. For extra measure, he glared at Granger as well even though she was reading a book.


	3. Chapter Three

Ron and Lavender were nowhere to be seen, so Hermione had made herself at home in the common room. Most people were laughing about something or another, playing Wizards Chess or Exploding Snap. Hermione was pleased to hear them happy, but she really wanted to work on an essay for Charms. The noise was a bit distracting, but she was a prefect, and she had to interact with her house and be available to them. It was part of her job and she was determined to do a good one.

So far no one had needed her, but that could change in a moment. She'd gotten a lot of work done on her assignment though, and that was what mattered.

She got good work done until Harry came over and slapped the Marauder's Map on the table in front of her, covering her essay. "Look," he said excitedly. "Look, I told you there was something sketchy going on with Malfoy! He's at the astronomy tower again, Hermione, he's-"

"Oh for Merlin's sake," Hermione muttered. "Harry, you're acting insane."

"No I'm not, Hermione, he's up there doing something and-"

"You are not going after him. Or do you not remember what happened at the start of the year on the train?"

Harry touched his nose gingerly, scowling into his hand. "But if he is a Death Eater, Hermione, we need to catch him and make sure he's sent to Azkaban."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Draco Malfoy is not a Death Eater. You're being ridiculous."

"Hermione-"

"Harry, listen to me," Hermione said gently. "Listen. You're all worked up and I understand. You don't want anything bad to happen. You don't want him to hurt anyone else. But going after Draco Malfoy is a mistake. Okay? It's a mistake. Who's going to trust a sixteen year-old kid to do something important and be a Death Eater?"

Harry sighed and took the map back begrudgingly. "I just feel like something's going on."

"Yes, because you hate him, and you want something to be happening," Hermione said. "Harry, I get it. I understand. You need to relax. You've got to just...do something you like."

"What exactly am I supposed to do?" he replied.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't have all of the answers, Harry. Maybe you should go flying for fun or, I don't know, sneak off to Hogsmeade or something."

"Are you seriously telling me to sneak out of the castle?" he asked.

"Maybe it's for your own good?" she suggested. "Maybe if you just...relax or take some time…"

It didn't seem like a normal suggestion she would make, especially with the circumstances. Everything was dangerous for Harry at the moment, but he needed to relax. He was going stir crazy, looking for anything to do. He needed something. Maybe inside the castle was best, but at this point, she really just needed him to stop obsessing over Draco Malfoy. It was annoying at this point.

"Maybe we could do something muggle-ish," Harry said after a moment.

Hermione smiled in response. "Muggle-ish. You got it. I can have my parents send us a game or something. Something that doesn't explode or destroy the other pieces."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. And maybe I could get butterbeer or something, just have a moment."

"You know, we could-"

She was interrupted by the door to the common room opening. Ron and Lavender crashed in, connected at the mouth, snogging beyond belief. She immediately felt like throwing up.

"Hermione-"

"They really shouldn't be doing that in front of the younger students," Hermione muttered, packing up her things.

"Wait, don't just leave, Hermione, we can-"

She smiled at him, sadly, and said, "It's fine, Harry. I'll see you later. Say something to him, will you? About snogging so much in front of the younger students?"

Harry nodded and sighed, and Hermione slipped out of the common room. She went to the library instead, where it was quiet and she didn't have to deal with the sight of Ronald Weasley kissing Lavender Brown. The library was peaceful, and Hermione finished her essay and a revision. She was ecstatic and a little tired, but thought about the coolness of the astronomy tower and whether or not she thought Draco Malfoy was still there. It had been at least two hours, surely he wouldn't still be there.

She packed up as Madam Pince came around to tell her to leave and, instead of heading for the common room again, went to the astronomy tower. She knew that she could get in trouble, being out past curfew, but she didn't care. McGonagall wouldn't do anything too severe to punish her, and she appreciated that. She'd get detention and she could handle that.

At first glance, the astronomy tower was empty, and Hermione happily set her bag down by the stairs. She went closer to the edge and sat down, letting her legs hang off the side and holding the railing. She could slow herself down if she fell, but she didn't even want to think about falling. It wasn't something she would want for herself.

Not even two minutes later, she heard a groan by the steps. Hermione turned around to look at whoever it was, and was surprised to see Draco Malfoy. He turned around and left before either of them could say anything. Hermione hadn't seen tears in his eyes this time, which was good. Still, she felt bad that she might have inadvertently kicked him off the tower.

Hermione thought about calling out to him and telling him that she would leave, that he didn't have to. But any excuse to not talk to Draco Malfoy was a good one.

Or, she realized, talking to him was a good idea. She could maybe learn something, sneak a peek at his arm, and be able to tell Harry once and for all that Malfoy was not a Death Eater. Harry would believe her, of course, or at least she hoped so. He was like her brother and she'd hate if he didn't trust her.

It took her about fifteen seconds to have the train of thought, and Hermione moved quickly off the edge of the tower to try and follow Malfoy. She saw a flash of blond hair go around the corner and sprinted. She'd always prided herself on being a fast runner.

When she got close enough to call his name without being too loud, she said, "Malfoy! Slow down!"

He faltered and slowed down. Hermione slowed too, coming to a stop before him. "What do you want, Granger?" he asked, a scowl on his face.

"Just...What are you doing up there?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, it's twice now that I've seen you up there late at night. Just...Tell me that you're not doing something bad. It'll get Harry to stop keeping an eye on you. Good for both of us, right?"

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "Why would I tell you anything?" he asked.

"I was just thinking that-" she said, and then paused as she realized that her plan might have been a little too naive. Of course Draco Malfoy wouldn't tell her anything. What had she been thinking? "-If you are doing something, which Harry seems to think is true, it would be beneficial for you to have him off your back. And if I'm the one that told him, he'd trust me."

His eyes narrowed. "I'm not doing anything."

"Which is why you came running into the astronomy tower crying." Hermione argued.

He scowled. "We agreed that you never saw anything."

"And then I thought of this wonderful solution to calm everyone down."

He folded his arms across his chest, continuing to scowl at her. Hermione's eyes flicked down to his pale, exposed wrist. She didn't see anything, but she also couldn't look too far up his arm. Her eyes moved back to his face and she saw that his scowl had deepend. "Find what you're looking for?"

"I wasn't looking for anything," Hermione protested. "Come on, Malfoy. Let's make this quick. Tell me you're not doing anything."

"I'm not doing anything, Mudblood," he spat. "I don't need you hounding me for answers."

Hermione's eyes narrowed too. "Why were you crying, Malfoy?"

"Shove off," he muttered, breaking eye contact. He looked ashamed. Hermione didn't know if it was for crying or letting her see. "Just stay out of my way."

"I gladly would if you just told me that you weren't doing something stupid."

"Do you care, Granger?" he asked. "No. So drop it."

He started walking away, and Hermione didn't bother to follow him. She didn't care about him, just about making Harry stop being paranoid and nervous. She thought he'd take her up on the offer of getting Harry to stop watching him, but apparently he didn't care. Or maybe Harry was right, and what he was dealing with was bigger than petty school drama. The thought of that made her stomach churn. She strongly disliked Draco Malfoy, but she didn't really hate him, and she didn't think being a Death Eater at his age was healthy for him.

She just didn't know what to do about that. Because he didn't want anything to do with her, and she didn't necessarily blame him for that. He'd been raised to hate people like her, and their interactions had never been good. She couldn't ask Crabbe or Goyle to do something either because they were only barely more intelligent than trolls, and Hermione knew personally how dumb trolls were.

Hermione knew she should just let it go, because realistically there was nothing she could do. But she also knew that she could probably take the map from Harry and find out where Malfoy was the next night, and do something. She couldn't change his life, but maybe one act of kindness could change his day and he'd have a better one.

She returned to the astronomy tower to grab her things, and then went back to the Gryffindor tower to go to sleep. The next day would be awkward and weird, but she would manage just like she always did. Draco Malfoy might curse her, but she could take a curse. She'd proved that to herself and her friends and her professors the last year when she could have died in the Department of Mysteries.

When Hermione woke up, she didn't hear Lavender giggling. It was a Saturday morning, and the other girls were sleeping in a little more than usual. She didn't mind, because Lavender Brown's voice grated on her ears and made hermione want to smack her in the face.

She yawned and stretched until she felt ready to actually get out of bed. Once she was ready for her day, Hermione made her way to the common room. Harry probably wasn't awake yet, but it gave her some time to read before she had to snag the map from him. He would, hopefully, think that he'd just misplaced it and take a day off from panicking. He really needed a break. Hopefully he would just calm down too, maybe go fly like she'd suggested. As long as he was calm.

Hermione went down to breakfast early, not spotting any of her friends but digging into eggs and toast. Harry came down eventually, and Hermione grinned when she saw the corner of the map poking out of his bag.

"Library?" Hermione asked as they finished. "We can do some homework. I know we have that massive essay for Sprout and-"

"Maybe I'll fly after all." Harry said, interrupting her.

Hermione did her best not to grin at that as well. "Want me to take your stuff back to your dormitory?" she asked. "If you're not going to do homework."

"I can take it back up." he said.

"Nonsense," she replied. "There's no reason why I can't help out. I've got to go get my bookbag anyway."

Harry nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Hermione. I appreciate it."

She smiled at him. "No problem, Harry. I'm gonna head up there now. Enjoy your fly, okay?"

He handed over his bag and Hermione carried it up the stairs. She slipped the map out as soon as possible, before she walked into the common room. Neville was just coming down the stairs, so Hermione hurried over to him. "Hey, Neville. Harry asked me to take this up to your dormitory-mind running it up the stairs for me?"

"Sure, Hermione," Neville said, taking the bag. "You want to come to breakfast with us?"

"No, I just ate," Hermione said. "Thanks though, Neville. Maybe tomorrow."

She rushed up to her own dormitory to grab her things before she went to the library to work for a bit, biding her time until she could check the map and see where Malfoy was. She still didn't know what to do when she found him, but she was smart. She could figure it out.


End file.
